


We've been through everything together why should this be any different

by harryisqueen



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Infertility, Mild Language, Mileven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 15:08:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17789675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harryisqueen/pseuds/harryisqueen
Summary: “I can’t marry Mike.”Max’s head snapped up to look at El in shock. She blinked at El in confusion.“And why exactly is that?”





	We've been through everything together why should this be any different

El awoke to the light buzzing of her phone. She immediately sat up grabbing her phone and carrying it into the living room in order to answer it.

“Hello?”

El felt her heart drop to her stomach and her eyes well with tears.

“Are you certain?”

She swallowed deeply as the doctors confirmed what she basically already knew.

 She hung up the phone and let out a pained sob she had been holding in.

 She had to call Max. 

She needed someone to talk to. So with shaky hands she dialed Max’s number.

“El, it’s 6am what are you doing calling me now.”

“I just needed someone to talk to and didn’t know who else to call.” El sobbed.

“El is everything okay? What’s going on where’s mike?”

“Can you just meet me down in the hotel lobby. Please?”

“Yeah of course just give me a minute.”

El hung up the phone then slipped on her slippers to walk downstairs to meet Max. She had to get this off her chest. She had to tell someone because she sure as hell wasn’t sure how she was going to tell Mike. They were supposed to be getting married in 2 weeks. In fact the entire wedding party was currently staying in a hotel for the rehearsal the next day.

El made her way downstairs hoping Max was already in the lobby. She didn’t think she’d be able to keep this in for much longer. 

Upon reaching the lobby she saw a sleepy looking Max sitting in the waiting area on a couch.

El made her way towards Max.

“I can’t marry Mike.”

Max’s head snapped up to look at El in shock. She blinked at El in confusion.

“And why exactly is that?”

“I got the confirmation call from the doctor. I can’t have kids.” El sobbed.

“Oh El.”

Max immediately pulled her friend into a tight hug as she cried. El’s sobs made Max want to cry as well. She knew how much El wanted kids. How eager she was to someday be a mother. And now it felt as if it had all been ripped away from her friend.

“This doesn’t mean you can’t marry Mike though El. He will understand. He loves you too much to let something like this stop him from marrying you."

“It doesn’t matter Max. I can’t give him something any other girl 100% could. It’s not fair on him.”

“El the wedding is in 2 weeks. You can’t just ditch Mike like this.”

“I just don't know what to do and don't know how i'm going to figure it out. Any way can I just stay in yours and Lucas’ room tonight. I can’t go back and face Mike right now even if he’s sleeping.”

“Yeah of course.”

El sniffled then stood up ready to make her way back up to Max’s room for the night. She’d figure this out in the morning. 

She couldn’t see Mike wanting to stay with her no matter how much he loved her. The both of them mutually wanted children so bad. 

Oh god. Not to mention Hopper. H

How the hell was she supposed to tell her dad who had been asking about grandchildren for years that she would never be able to provide him with any.

Max unlocked hers and Lucas’ hotel room and El walked past Max into the room. Max followed soon after shutting the door behind her.

“Oy Lucas wake up.”

Max smacked Lucas’ butt and his head jerked up as he awoke with a start.

“Get up Els sleeping with me now. You can sleep on that pull out couch or some shit.”

“Oh good lord.”

Lucas rolled his eyes but nonetheless climbed out of bed. He shot El a worried look upon seeing her blood shot eyes but knew not to ask. El kicked off her slippers then climbed into the bed next to Max. 

She had no clue how she was going to tell Mike. 

She was so ashamed.

Ashamed her time in the lab had led to this.

She was unable to produce something she wanted so bad.

Until the doctor had called she couldn’t recall anything Brenner had done that could have rendered her infertile.

And then she thought about all the radiation.

All the scans and machines that were used on her.

They did something to her ovaries causing her to be infertile.

And she hated that man for that.

In the past 13 years since she’d escaped from the lab she had never thought she hated Brenner.

Because who was the real monster if she hated someone?

But in this moment she couldn't hold back the hate & she knew she hated that man.

She had been kidding herself when she told herself she didn’t hate him.

She really did hate him.

He had taken away one of the few things she truly wanted in life. Something she felt she needed. Something Mike wanted so badly too. And that’s what hurt her the most. The idea of letting Mike down.

El squeezed her eyes as she cried. 

This hurt far more than any torture she had endured in the lab.

***

El awoke slowly the next day to someone slapping her cheek.

She blinked the bleariness out of her eyes to see Max come into focus.

“Your man’s freaking out. He woke up and you weren’t in the bed or in the room. It took Lucas literally 10 minutes to explain to him you were fine and in our room. Anyways here’s some clothes to wear to breakfast. I told him you’d be down in a minute. Also don’t forget the rehearsal is immediately after breakfast so be ready.”

“Thanks Max.” El said.

She grabbed the clothes from Max then ducked into the bathroom to quickly change. 

She left Max’s hotel room and made her way downstairs. She stopped right before entering the hotels café. 

Logically she knew she had no intention of telling Mike about her infertility in front of everyone but it felt weird keeping something from Mike.

She had never kept something from him before. 

She slid into the chair at the large table next to Mike.

“Hey baby.”

Mike leaned over pressing a light kiss to her head. El leaned into him settling her head on his shoulder. 

She felt guilty that she hadn’t told Mike when she had first received the call.

Hell she had kept this whole process from him.

She knew he would be upset about that.

Upset at the fact that she didn’t even tell him what was going on.

But the only person she felt she could tell was Max.

“El!”

El’s head jerks up from its position on Mikes shoulder after hearing Mike say her name.

“What do you want to eat?”

“I’m not really that hungry right now. Maybe I’ll get something after the rehearsal.”

Mike frowned at her. He could tell something was wrong.

After breakfast everyone went to the grand ballroom for the rehearsal.

By now El really just wanted to get this out of the way so they could be on their way back home to Hawkins.

The rehearsal seemed to drag on.

El should be ecstatic in this moment.

She was rehearsing for her upcoming wedding.

But all she could think about however is having to tell Mike the bad news.

She wasn't even sure if she was going to be able to marry Mike right now.

Rehearsal was over and done with by 2pm and El could now feel the effects of having not ate breakfast.

So she and Mike put their luggage into their car bid their friends goodbye and drove off so that they could stop somewhere to eat for lunch.

El silently sat in the passenger seat as Mike drove.

She found herself playing with her hands and occasionally raising them up to her mouth to chew her nails down. 

Mike pulled the car into a fast food restaurant and drove around the building towards the drive-thru.

“Wanna tell me why you’ve ignored me practically all day today?”

El’s eyebrows shot into her head.

 Dammit.

 Mike really never missed a thing.

El had tried her best to avoid Mike most of the day, which sounds impossible seeing as they had their wedding rehearsal but she somehow managed.

El cleared her throat.

“I haven’t been.”

“Thank you for choosing Burger King may I take your order.”

“Just get me a 10-piece nugget with ketchup and a water please.”

Mike repeated the order to the employee at the drive thru adding a burger to the order for himself and then after receiving his total pulled forwards towards the first window.

“Listen El I don’t know what I did wrong but last night you literally left and slept with Max rather than me and you’ve barely said 10 words to me today. If I did something tell me so I can fix it.”

El glanced over at Mikes face. 

He looked lost. 

Lost at what he had done wrong. 

Little did he know that she was the one who had went wrong. She was the failure. She was the one who could never give them a family. And oh god she had no clue how she should tell him that.

 It’s going to crush him.

El once again felt herself begin to cry.

God dammit she was so tired of crying.

“El what’s wrong.”

El once again looked over at Mike to see his concerned face gazing at her.  

El tried to swallow but ended up choking on her own sobs.

She buried her face in her hands.

She heard Mike accept their food then drive out of the drive thru.

She felt the car come to halt in what she assumed was a parking space.

This was it she had to tell him.

El pulled her face out of her hands.

“I got confirmation last night. I was late I thought maybe I was pregnant.”

Mikes face began to lift into a smile.

“El that's great news!”

El’s heart dropped at his excitement.

Oh god.

This made it that much worse.

She can’t believe she was letting him down like this.

“I can’t have kids Mike.” She interrupted.

El’s heart dropped at the look on Mike’s face. He was as she had assumed heartbroken.

She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to stop herself from crying.

It was selfish of her.

She was the one stealing the idea of a family from Mike.

El felt a hand land on her cheek and then soft thumb on her cheek wiping gently.

“El we can get a second opinion.”

El interrupted him “I already got a second & third opinion. This was the fourth.”

El once again watched as Mike’s face dropped.

She could practically read what he was thinking.

God why did she have to be so stupid.

This was her failure.

Her fault.

“You mean to tell me you went through all this alone?”

“Mike I just didn’t want to disappoint you. I tried to tell you so many times after the doctor just mentioned the idea of me not being able to have kids. But I was so embarrassed I just didn’t know how I could tell you.”

El could feel every breath she took.

She could feel her heart racing in her chest.

Out of everything the lab could have taken from her why did they have to take this from her.

Something she never knew she’d want so bad.

“El you know I would have understood. When have I ever not understood. And whatever happened to friends don’t lie?”

“Mike you don’t understand. I was embarrassed. It hurts so much that I can’t give you the one thing any other woman could give you. It hurts that I can’t do what every other woman can. I know I should have told you but I didn’t think you’d still want to marry me.” El admitted.

“Oh, El.” Was all Mike could manage.

He pulled El’s face to his pressing a soft kiss against her forehead.

“I’ve waited 13 years to marry you and nothing could stop me from wanting to marry you. Plus, who cares that you can’t physically give us children. We can adopt we can do fertility treatments we can make it work. It just really hurts that you didn’t feel like you could tell me this from the start. It makes me so damn sad that you had to go through everything alone.”

El wiped the front of her hands over her eyes to try and get rid of the moisture.

Her eyes were burning from crying so much.

Mike had to be so kind and understanding about everything.

Deep down she knew he would understood.

He was Mike.

But finding out that she couldn’t do something that most other women around her could sent her right back to being 12.

Back when she could barely form words or coherent sentences.

Mike had helped her with that.

She was foolish to even think for a moment he wouldn’t be there for her through this too.

“I love you, Mike. So much.”

She swooped towards him placing a quick kiss to his nose.

“I love you too El. No matter what.”

Mike then leaned forwards gently stroking her cheek.

He then softly kissed her head then leaned back in his chair.

“You do still plan on marrying me right?”

El couldn’t help but laugh.

“Yes.”

“Good. Now let’s eat. You must be starving.” Mike said with a grin.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> thoughts?
> 
> follow me on tumblr! harryisqu33n.tumblr.com


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